KB1VXY -- Short BIO: Greetings from Hopkinton, MA, where the Boston Marathon starts each Patriots Day in April. Thanks for the QSO or for looking me up. Above picture is at Boston Harbor walk on the day after the big ships arrival. I was monitoring the maritime frequencies.

On HF, I work all bands with FT-450D @ 75 - 100 Watts into a 75 meter dipole fed with window line (as of 12/16/17), mostly SSB, digital modes (JT65 and WSPR, occ. PSK31, not much FT8 yet). Also use a PAR Stressed Moxon for 6 M. Occasional HF 5 Watt QRP from FT-817ND using same antenna or mobile with hamsticks or with end fed 66 foot wire to upstairs warmer "Station B". Work lots of local 2M nets (Net control of George's Old timers Net every Tuesday on CMARA's Paxton, MA, repeater (146.97 MHz, PL 114.8, no Echolink), and some 6M SSB (Yankee 6 Meter SSB Net-). Some Echolink, Twitter for Skywarn also. Prefer LOTW for QSLs. I am VP of Framingham Amateur Radio Association (Facebook page, Twitter page). Also am a member of the Minuteman Amateur Radio Association, and the Central Mass Amateur Radio Association. I check in and out Mon-Fri into the Gallops Island Radio Association Net at 6:30 local time (11:30 UTC) on 3.923 MHz. I am a Mental Health professional who finds this hobby incredibly relaxing after a day of listening to others! Learning CW.

My interest in radio began at the kitchen table, my father was a tailgunner and CW operator in the Navy in 1944 (USS Kalinin Bay, more,Battle off Samar, and used to copy CW at the kitchen table off our AM/FM/Shortwave radio when I was a kid in the 1960s. My uncle was a Ham in Seekonk, MA, and was known for passing messages during some hurricanes that knocked out local communications. My neighbors were CB enthusiasts and we all had walkie talkies, "this is mobile unit one". In classes on physical and analyical chemistry and the chemistry labs at Providence College , I learned about resonance and the relationship between chemical bond lengths (small antennas) and frequencies of absorption when using spectroscopy. It was not until 2011, after listening to Skywarn reports on a scanner give reports of the MA tornados, that I got my Technician class license. Soon after, I got the General and have been an Extra Class since 2012. I used the Ham Whisperer slides on a weekend to get the Tech license. I paid for and used Ham Test Online for the Extra which worked well for me.

Local 2M and 70cm (FM) with FT-7900 mobile (UHF/VHF) and FT-1900 (VHF only) at home, or FT-817ND (2M to 160 M QRP) or FT-60R HT (UHF/VHF) or FT1D HT (UHF/VHF/system fusion and Rx on broadcast FM amd AM). Have FT-252 HT (VHF) for XYL. Can do local QRP 144 MHz and 432 MHz USB with FT-817ND.

Repeaters/frequencies: See below for more extensive local net listing.

6:30 AM, MONDAY TO FRIDAY. GALLOPS ISLAND RADIO ASSOCIATION NET, 3.923, usually 1st check-in at 6:30 am, Mon to Fri. Will try listening to 14.184 or 14.195 at 8:30 am weekdays for some of the same group. http://www.gallupsislandradio.net/

6:30 PM 3990 MHz group gets on most days. Some members from Gallops Island Radio Association Net listed above.

Me with FT 817ND at Volcano National Park, Big Island of Hawaii, listening, no contacts made, some heard, using multiband hamstick on roof. December 2013

Me, about 2010 in Monument Valley with some local dogs following me around. The dogs would run ahead to chase horses off the trail before I got there!

Me on North Shore of Kawaii, 2012.

My son Ben and I in November 2012 near the shore in Volcano National Park on the Big Island of Hawaii, with solidified lava blocking the road. >>

Worcester State Hospital Clock Tower building under demolition. The tower top was preserved and recently rebuilt atop a new tower outside the entrance to the new Worcester Recovery Center and Hospital. >>

FARA Field Day, Upton State Park, June 2015 >>

Paul King N1VAM, Presidet of FARA with his wife Nancy, and me KB1VXY with HT and wife, KC1EII on shore of Kauai on false beach during rough surf from a storm out at sea. I just bumped into Paul and Nancy, recognizing his moustache. In front of us was a river of water that crossed over this false beach to our left in this picture and flowed back out to the ocean to our right. The level of water depended on how much came over this false beach and there was a delay of a minute as it came over about a mile away to our left. The water in the trench ranged from a few inches to several feet and could sweep people away as it almost did with us. The locals said they came down to watch the tourists get swept in so they could "help" them out. Great! Several cars were broken into at this site also. Friendly natives!

Tall ships, 06/17/17: Coast Guard's The Eagle. I was monitoring the Maritime freqs all day.>>

On 1/1/13, during a brief 6M band opening, I had contacts in Kentucky and Minneapolis on 5 watts SSB.

WSPR: To see my most recent WSPR activity, go to WSPRNET.ORG and type in my call sign under the DATABASE tab to see what I have done in the last 2 weeks. Or on the MAP to see anything done in the last 24 hours.